Lecrae Moore
Lecrae Moore also known as Lecrae, Creezie or Crayola, is a Christian Hip Hop artist signed to Reach Records, the record label that he co-founded. Thus far, Lecrae has released five solo studio albums, and his latest Rehab: The Overdose was released on January 11, 2011. He is also a member of the rap group 116 Clique, with which he collaborates frequently. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but his current origin is in Houston, Texas. He has been active since 2004 to present. Born and raised by his mother in a poor community, Lecrae Moore moved around a lot, giving him his versatile background and cultural awareness. San Diego, Denver, and Dallas have all once been home to him and the street life he idolized and pursued. Along the way, like many in the inner city, he took to rapping as a way of communicating his thoughts. But it wasn’t until after high school that his hobby became a passion, and Jesus Christ redeemed his Hip-Hop background. At 19-years-old, at the encouragement of a Christian leader, he had attended a conference and heard James White delivering the message. In that moment, sitting in a chair, his world was flipped upside down as the Holy Spirit convicted him of his sin and need for a Savior. Almost instantly, his renewed heart spilled over as he printed his testimony and passed it out across the University of North Texas campus. The next five years included many struggles and victories before he teamed up to found Reach Records, releasing his first album at the age of 25. Calling Dallas home, Lecrae had remained content using his gifts of speaking and rapping while volunteering at a juvenile detention center, but the Lord had different plans, and he soon began working on his debut album. Pouring out a genuine discussion of life issues and a passionate, unashamed pursuit of Jesus Christ, Lecrae released Real Talk. Listeners responded by quickly noting him as an emcee that meets people where they are by delivering transparent, relatable, and impactful messages. As Lecrae continued to make his mark in the music industry, he realized the stage wasn’t enough. He wanted to see a deeper impact in urban culture. There needed to be a culturally relevant and biblically solid resource center to help train the next generation, so he co-founded ReachLife Ministries in 2005. The non-profit organization exists to partner with other organizations in equipping local leaders with culturally relevant tools and media projects designed to strengthen communities with the word of God. ReachLife is another vital piece in the larger vision of seeing a reformation in urban culture. Since then, Lecrae has released the groundbreaking album After the Music Stops and the first Christian Rap album to ever sit in the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Charts--Rebel. Led by the  classic single‚ “Jesus Musik,” After the Music Stops slowly spread to the mainstream market with other hits such as “Praying For You” and “Send Me.” Aimed at building an audience of disciples, the album sat on Soundscan’s Christian Hip Hop/R&B chart for two years after releasing in 2006. While Rebel, released in 2008, also garnered much success--spending 78 weeks on the Billboard charts. A graduate of University of North Texas, Lecrae now resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife and children. He and his wife are small group leaders at Blueprint Church, and his passion for impacting urban culture persists. With five albums to his name, touring worldwide along with the 116 Clique, and inspiring a generation of young believers across the globe, Lecrae is humbled by his position in leading others towards Christ. His hope is that Reach’s impact will spread far beyond simply the music and into the lives of individuals across the world, ultimately exalting Jesus Christ. Real Talk was Lecrae's first attempt for a solo-record. There was two different versions of this album; a version released by Reach Records in 2004 and a Cross Movement Records version, released in 2005. The album charted at #29 on the Billboard gospel albums chart. After the success of "Real Talk", Lecrae released his second studio album on August 15, 2006. After the Music Stops! charted at No. 5 on the billboard gospel albums chart, no. 7 on the billboard Christian albums chart and No. 16 on the billboard heatseeker album charts. The album was nominated for a dove award as was the single "Jesus Muzik". On October 8, 2008, Lecrae's third album, Rebel, entered the Billboard charts at no. 60 with 9800 units sold. It also ranked No. 3 on the iTunes rap downloads, and topped the Billboard Christian album charts for two weeks, the first rap album to do so. The album gained some of the highest praise for Christian Hip-hop yet, for example, CCM website Jesus Freak Hideout said, "Musically, it's easily as good as (if not better than) anything you will hear on mainstream rap stations. Lyrically, there's no comparison. Lecrae's message is better, and better for you." The album has of April, 2010 maintained a 78 week run on the billboard gospel charts. It has sold 125,000 as of July 7th.